Echinodorus major

Echinodorus major, the Ruffled Sword, is a striking species native to Brazil producing upright, lance-shaped leaves with strongly wavy, ruffled margins that set it apart visually from all other Echinodorus. In the aquarium it forms a robust rosette reaching 40–60 cm tall, its leaves shimmering with the undulation of the margins under water movement. The foliage is a vivid mid-green with clearly defined venation that accentuates the ruffled texture.

It is a demanding feeder that rewards generous root nutrition with impressively large leaves; undernourished specimens produce smaller, paler growth. Despite this nutritional appetite, it is not particularly difficult to keep and adapts well to a range of tropical water parameters. CO2 injection is beneficial but not essential when root nutrition is adequate.

The Ruffled Sword's dramatic leaf texture makes it an excellent choice as a solitary background specimen in large planted tanks or South American biotopes, where its visual impact is maximised against open mid-water space.